Buy Food with Plastic was created with a simple idea: plastic shouldn’t be waste, it should be a resource.
In San Juan del Sur, the natural beauty of the coastline is one of the things that makes this community special. But like many growing tourist destinations, waste management remains a challenge. Much of the plastic ends up burned, buried, or eventually washed into the ocean.
Waste washed up on the beach in San Juan del Sur, highlighting the need for recycling solutions.
But with the right systems in place, plastic can become something valuable.
That’s where local businesses like Tuani’s, a well-known resto bar in the heart of the port of San Juan del Sur, are beginning to step forward to be part of the solution.
Turning Plastic Into a Resource
Through Buy Food with Plastic, community members are encouraged to collect recyclable plastic rather than throw it away.
Instead of being treated as waste, plastic becomes something useful.
Plastic diverted from the environment is now being recycled at the Buy Food with Plastic facility in El Astillero.
Collected plastic bottles can be exchanged for hot meals or household cleaning products. The program is built around exchange, creating value from materials that could otherwise pollute the environment.
This approach encourages recycling behaviour while also helping keep the community and coastline clean.
A simple exchange: plastic for food through the Plastic for meal event.
A Business Stepping Forward
Tuani’s has been one of the early partners of the program, demonstrating how local businesses can take practical steps toward a cleaner town.
By becoming a member of the initiative, Tuani’s helps enable the collection, transport, and responsible recycling of materials across the community. Their membership contributes to both the recycling collections and plastic for meal exchange events.
"Tuani's has been a ground breaking partner for us in San Juan del Sur. It reflects what doing business and caring for the environment actually means." Frank, COO & Co-Founder of Buy Food with Plastic.
Their participation shows that businesses in San Juan del Sur can play an important role in protecting the environment we all depend on.
Making an Impact
In 2025, Buy Food with Plastic, Nicaragua collected 356,320 plastic bottles, diverting 11.1 tons of plastic from the environment into recycling and facilitated the exchange of plastic for the equivalent of 4,816 meals through our impact truck.
"We see this as part of doing business responsibly. If we want to protect San Juan del Sur, businesses need to be part of the solution and this is a straightforward way to contribute." Charles Edmunds, Owner of Tuani's
Working together in San Juan del Sur - Charles Edmunds, owner of Tuani's, with his team and Buy Food with Plastic, supporting a cleaner community.
Recycling Collection for Homes and Businesses
To make recycling easier for the community, Buy Food with Plastic now offers biweekly door-to-door recycling collection for residents and businesses in San Juan del Sur.
Membership fees help fund the operations required to collect and recycle materials responsibly.
Monthly memberships:
- $20 per month for households
- $20–$60 per month for businesses
- $200 - 1’000 per month for entire communities
Membership fees directly support the recycling collection costs and help expand recycling operations to other communities across Nicaragua.
This means that more businesses joining the program will play a key role in making the recycling system sustainable, enable the expansion of operations and create more local jobs.
A Cleaner Future for San Juan del Sur
Programs like Buy Food with Plastic only work when the whole community participates.
With leaders like Tuani’s stepping forward, San Juan del Sur is beginning to show how businesses and residents can work together to turn plastic waste into a resource.
The more households and businesses that join, the more plastic can be diverted from burning, dumping, and entering the ocean.
And the cleaner our town will become.
The team at Tuani’s supporting recycling efforts in San Juan del Sur.
Interested in joining?
If you’re a business or household in San Juan del Sur or the Rivas region and would like to participate in recycling collection, you can subscribe directly here to become a member and be part of the initiative.
Together, we can turn plastic waste into something valuable and keep San Juan del Sur beautiful. ♻️
